Word of the Day
by FeedtheFlames
Summary: A collection of drabbles focused on the word of the day from Merriam-Webster's word of the day. Been wanting to do this for awhile so hope you guys enjoy. Most drabbles can be used as prompts, read first chapter for more information.
1. Tantamount

**AN: Soo… I've been away from the fanfiction game for a while. I decided that I should come back to practice my writing and what better way to do that **_**and**_** expand my vocabulary than challenge myself with a word of the day drabble. Now I won't be writing a new drabble every day, I guarantee that, but I will try to write often with a new word from my word of the day app.**

**Today's word is: tantamount – **_**adj – **_**equivalent in value, significance, or effect.**

"What are you doing?"

"Merlin, what does it look like I'm doing?"

"Well you can't be doing what I think you're doing…"

"Why is that?"

"Because it looks like you're reading…"

Arthur rolled his eyes and turned in his chair to glare at Merlin.

"What is wrong with me reading?" he asked threateningly.

"You reading is **tantamount** to Gwaine being sober," Merlin stated obliviously.

"That's a big word for you, Merlin. Are you implying that I can't read?" Arthur asked.

"No, only that it's unlike you to find the patience to sit and actually do it…"

"Merlin…"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

**AN: Hope you enjoyed the drabble!**

**God bless!**

**Edit: I've now set up this drabbles so that almost any of them can be picked up as prompts, unless they are already connected or similar to one of my other fics, which I will mention in the drabble itself. Please just let me know if you want to take one on and give my SN in the story if published. If you do publish it I will also put your screenname in said drabble. Thank you!**


	2. Culprit

**AN: A little more fun at Arthur's expense! Enjoy!**

**Word of the Day: culprit – **_**noun **_**– 1: one accused of or charged with a crime. 2: one guilty of a crime or a fault. 3: the source or cause of a problem.**

"Is that the **culprit**?"

"Yes sire. This is the cause of your… erm…"

"Merlin…"

"I wasn't going to say fat… ow!"

Even with the swelling, Arthur was faster than Merlin. However, Merlin still managed to hold onto the dangerous object.

"Who knew that something so little could cause so much… discomfort?" grumbled Arthur.

"You really shouldn't go about eating strange fruit, sire."

"It doesn't look strange, it looks like a blueberry…"

"Um… Arthur… have you ever seen a blueberry?"

"Of course I've seen a blueberry. Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?"

"Well… blueberries are usually… you know… blue…"

**AN: Haha so initially I had no idea where I was going with this but I think it turned out pretty funny. As always leave a review!**

**God bless!**


	3. Stereotactic

**AN: So I knew this would happen eventually, didn't expect it quite so soon, but eventually I would get a word that just didn't fit into the timeline. So this story is about Merlin in the future (or present depending on how you look at it) during the time Merlin is awaiting Arthur's return. This drabble is a bit more serious but I hope you guys enjoy it the same.**

**Word of the day: Stereotactic – **_**adj**_** – involving or used ina surgical technique for precisely directing the tip of a delicate instrument or beam of radiation in three planes using coordinates provided by medical imaging in order to reach a specific locus in the body.**

"They say it's a brain tumor…"

Silence.

"The doctor's want to do a **stereotactic** procedure…"

"Hmm…"

"They don't seem very optimistic about my survival…"

"And what makes you think I care?"

Jason glanced at the old man sitting on the bench.

"I don't."

He stood up to leave, his hat fell to the ground. As he bent over to retrieve it, fighting the dizziness, the old man's hand was suddenly in front of his face, holding the hat. He glanced suspiciously at the man.

"Thanks."

As he left he didn't see the golden glow fade from the old man's eyes.

**AN: So this was really hard to shorten to 100 words but as we all know each drabble is only a taste of a larger story, hope you guys enjoy filling in the blanks.**

**God bless!**


	4. Faineant

**AN: No excuses… I slacked off… sorry… here's the next chapter and word**

**Fainéant – adj – idle and ineffectual: indolent.**

"Merlin you should rest."

Merlin wiped sweat from his brow as he focused again on the target.

"I'm fine," he stated a flippant look on his face.

"You have been practicing for hours." Kilgarrah's voice grated on his nerves… or maybe it was the content that aggravated him.

"I don't want to become fainéant waiting for Arthur to return."

He shouted the spell, felt a slight drain of power, but nothing happened. For a moment his heavy breathing was all that could be heard.

"It has only been a year." Merlin said nothing. "You will learn to wait, young warlock."

**AN: Sorry to put two serious ones back to back, not sure what the word of the day will be tomorrow but hopefully tomorrow's will be more cheerful.**


	5. Longeur

**AN: So…. Yeah**

**Longeur – noun – a dull or tedious passage or section (as of a book, play, or musical composition) – usually used in plural.**

The loud sigh echoed through the library earning Merlin a frown from the caretaker Geoffrey. Merlin was plodding his way through a trying longeur in a tome entitled "Potions and Remedies." His brain had long ago stopped paying attention as it screamed for rescue.

Something clattered against the window, Merlin jumped and glanced at Geoffrey who hadn't noticed. The clatter came again. Merlin eased himself over to the window and pulled it open, silencing the squeaky hinges with a whispered word.

As he glanced out something flew at him. Reaching a hand out, he caught the apple, then smiled mischievously.

**AN: I know… not my best, and more than you deserve after such a long wait. Hopefully I will write more and better soon.**

**God bless!**


	6. Zillionaire

**AN: I literally missed yesterday's word of the day by seven minutes… *sigh*… anyway hope you enjoy today's. Arthur and Merlin get into more mischief.**

**Zillionaire – noun – an immeasurably wealthy person**

"Merlin do you have any idea how much that cost?"

"Uh…"

"How am I supposed to explain this?"

"It's not that bad… I'm sure you can fix it…"

"Merlin it's ruined!"

"Isn't Lord Gelay a zillionaire? I'm sure he can afford to replace it…"

"You don't replace a valuable artifact like this, _Mer_lin…"

"What is it anyway?"

"Well it's obvious isn't it… it's a…a…"

"You don't know do you…"

"Of course I do…"

"Then what?"

Silence.

"See you don't know! You don't know what it is! For all you know it could be a fancy paperweight!"

"Merlin…"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

**AN: a lot of dialogue which leaves a lot to the imagination, but I like it and I bet your imagination is active enough to fill in the gaps.**

**God bless!**


	7. Brobdingnagian

**AN: You guys will not believe the word of the day today…**

**Brobdingnagian (I kid you not…) – adjective – marked by tremendous size.**

"Oh…my…"

"Have you ever seen..."

"No…never…"

"That thing is of brobdingnagian proportions!"

Arthur nodded and then stopped, a frown crossed his face and he turned to glare at his manservant.

"Brob-what?"

"Brobdingnagian." Merlin responded casually.

"Merlin, you cannot just make up words to sound smart…" Arthur protested indignantly.

"I didn't make it up!"

"Really? Tell me where did you here of this word… brobdindadonggong?"

"Brobdingnagian."

"Brobingonarian."

"Brobdingnagian!"

"Brobohobo-"A loud roar interrupted the king as he once again stumbled over the words, reminding the two men of their predicament.

"Uh…" Merlin murmured. "Maybe now's not the best time…"

"Agreed…. RUN!"

**AN: So usually the word of the day is just a casual mention but I couldn't pass this one up… I think it's a little out of character for Arthur to be unable to pronounce this word but it adds more to the story so I hope you enjoyed it.**

**As always leave a review!**

**God bless!**


	8. Warp Speed

**AN: And then there are days when you have 'words' like this:**

**Warp speed – the highest possible speed**

"Ready?"

Merlin nodded.

_Click_

Suddenly he felt like he was spinning at warp speed, it hurt, but he was accustomed to pain.

One…two… three…

In a flash of light Merlin was thrown from the vortex. He pushed himself up and looked around, then laughed.

"I made it!"

"Who are you?" A young voice asked.

Merlin spun around.

"Where am I?" he asked the blonde haired child.

"Camelot."

"Who's king? Is Arthur king?"

The blonde boy frowned in confusion. "No…King Uther rules Camelot… I'm Arthur."

Merlin kneeled in front of the boy. "Hello, I've come a long way to see you."

**AN: So in case you couldn't tell Merlin travelled back in time to save Arthur. I had to cut a lot of this story out, about a third to reach the 100 word requirement, so I hope I didn't cut out too much and that you guys still enjoy the idea.**

**God bless!**


	9. Distemper

**AN: Will this be the day she disappears into oblivion? Nope… not today!**

**Distemper – verb – to throw out of order (so many things I could do with this word and Arthur and Merlin… hope you like what I chose!)**

"You must have been up all night working on this!" Merlin exclaimed clutching the long to-do list.

"Nonsense… that's what I have servants for."

Merlin squinted suspiciously. "This is ridiculous, even for you… what's going on?"

"Well… if you must know… there's a council meeting today?"

"So there's a council meeting every day!"

"Yes… but this is a very important council meeting and I won't have you frolicking around to distemper the result!"

Merlin clicked his tongue but made no further argument, Arthur was glad. The appointment of a Court Sorcerer should be a surprise to everyone… especially said Sorcerer.

**AN: So kind of a short and sweet little drabble in a little place I like to call "Happily-Ever-Afterville" (which is also the title of one of my other stories, check it out if you like ;)**

**As always leave a review!**

**God bless!**


	10. Tintinnabulation

**AN: Yesterday didn't count. Sunday is a day of rest. (Because typing up 100 words is so strenuous). Chapter 10 YAY! These words are getting more and more ridiculous…**

**Tintinnabulation – 1. The ringing or sounding of bells – 2. A jingling or tinkling sound as if bells**

"Something's wrong?"

"How do you know? We're miles from the castle."

"Listen… you can hear the tintinnabulation from the warning tower."

"The what?"

"Shh…"

Gwaine listened carefully and indeed he heard the warning bells ringing.

"Come on!" Arthur ordered and they spurred their horses into a gallop.

"What's going on?" Arthur asked as soon as they reached the gate.

"Prisoner escaped from the cells," the guard responded.

"I was not aware we had a prisoner in the cells."

"Lord Anders demanded it. Said the servant insulted his honor."

Gwaine and Arthur shared a knowing look.

"What did Merlin do now?"

**AN: I have no idea why Merlin wasn't with them in the first place but I'll leave the rest of the story up to your guy's imaginations.**

**God bless!**


	11. Pandiculation

**AN: So today I was supposed to start classes… online classes… unfortunately my roommate had to go and download something that caused the copyright infringement alarms to go off on our internet provider. As punishment for this breech in security we now must use slower internet for the next 48 hours… internet so slow that I cannot even access my school account.**

**On the bright side… you get another word of the day.**

**Pandiculation – noun – a stretching and stiffening especially of the trunk and extremities (as when fatigued and drowsy or after waking from sleep)**

Arthur's eyes opened. He took a deep breath of air, which turned into a yawn as the cold air touched his lungs. He pushed the blankets back and stood up. He cracked his knuckles and curled his toes, hunching his back and stretching his arms in the air. He bent to the left, and to the right, and it was about that time that he shivered.

The room was cold.

Why was the room cold?

And the room was dark.

Why was the room dark?

His stomach grumbled.

And where was his breakfast?

Arthur groaned ceasing his routine pandiculation.

Merlin.

**AN: Alright so I almost didn't post this one because it was so similar to yesterday's but I don't control the muses guys… sorry. Hope you still liked it, if nothing else you got to imagine Arthur's sexy muscles rippling under his stretched skin as he went through his morning wake up routine ;)**

**As always, leave a review!**

**God bless!**


	12. Inchoate

**AN: So this is not the word that I would want to make my comeback in… and this drabble really isn't my best, but I'm glad to be writing again and that's all that matters. Hopefully tomorrow's word will be more interesting. Enjoy!**

**Inchoate – adj – being only partly in existence or operation; incipient**

"You can't do this!"

"Arthur's plan to legalize magic is inchoate at best. I am fully within my rights and the council will back me up. Besides with you out of the way, magic will never be legalized."

"You're wrong!" Merlin shouted. "Arthur is stronger than you think."

"We shall see."

The sound of splitting wood and the sweet jingling sound of armor brought a sigh of relief from Merlin. Merlin took his place by Arthur's side and faced his captor.

"Magic will be legalized, this land will be free, and there is nothing you can do to stop that."

**AN: Another fic from Happily-Ever-Afterville, hope it wasn't too vague. I'm a little rusty. Nothing left to say.**

**God bless!**


	13. Feign

**Feign – verb – to give a false appearance of : to induce as a false impression**

"Merlin what happened to you?"

"It's nothing sire, just a dislocated shoulder."

"And the limp?"

"Twisted my ankle."

"And how did you manage that?"

"Fell down the stairs?"

Arthur glared at Merlin suspiciously, deducing whether his servant was **feigning** injury.

"Well you're no use to me like this, go see Gaius and take the rest of the day off."

"Are you sure sire? I could always—"

"No!" Arthur said a little to emphatically. He cleared his throat. "Just… leave me."

"Yes, sire," Merlin said a little dejectedly.

"See you tomorrow then?" Arthur asked.

Merlin smiled. "Bright and early, sire."

**AN: I was a little disappointed by this word, and don't get me started on all the ideas of "feigning innocence" or "feigning concern" but I wanted to try to use it a little differently. Hopefully tomorrow's word is more inspiring.**

**God bless!**


	14. Genius

**AN: So I thought I had posted this last night only to wake up this morning to find that it hadn't been done so here it is a little late, don't worry I'll still work on today's word of the day too ;)**

**Genius – noun – 1: a single strongly marked capacity or aptitude; 2: extraordinary intellectual power especially manifested in creative activity; 3: a person with transcendent mental superiority**

"Arthur had a genius for combat, and Merlin had a genius for magic… together… imagine what they could have done, if fear had not held them back."

"Did they ever fight together, mum?"

"Once," the beauty replied. "But even then Arthur did not know who Merlin truly was, still… it was said to have been spectacular to see."

"I wish I could have been there to see it."

The mother smiled down at her child. "So do I, love… so do I."

"Will we ever see him again?"

"Maybe someday… there is a prophecy… and when it comes true… perhaps…"

**AN: SO I went with the first definition. I was trying to keep the characters vague so you could imagine them as anyone. Is it Guinevere telling her and Arthur's son about his life? Is it someone Merlin fell in love with but was forced to leave like his father. Or maybe that's me? Telling my future children the story of Merlin (though honestly I'll probably just let them watch the show) Hope you enjoyed!**

**God bless!**

**p.s. I'm changing the description and first chapter of this fic slightly. Unless specifically mentioned as part of one of my own original works, all of these drabbles are open as prompts, all I ask is that you notify me and put my SN in the story. Thanks!**


	15. Extirpate

**Extirpate – verb – 1 a: to destroy completely : wipe out; b: to pull up by the root; 2 : to cut out by surgery.**

"Sire…"

"She tricked me Gaius…"

"I know…"

"Magic is evil… it corrupts!" Uther turned towards Gaius, a fire in his eyes his friend didn't expect. "I forbid you to practice it any longer!"

"My Lord…"

"From this day forward magic will be banned in Camelot!"

"This is not a decision to be made hastily, perhaps we should sleep on it… you haven't even held your son yet."

"Gaius… I will not rest until sorcery has been **extirpated** from this kingdom! Are you with me?"

Gaius was silent for a long time before coming to a decision.

"I live to serve."

**AN: Sorry I missed yesterday's but here's a new one, a word I have not heard before, finally.**

**God bless!**


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